NEW DELHI: Ancy Sojan came agonisingly close to giving India its first athletics gold at the Asian Games 2026, but had to settle for silver after China’s Yingying Huang produced a decisive final jump in the women’s long jump in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan, on Sunday. Shaili Singh also missed out on a medal, finishing fourth after China’s Mengyi Tan edged her out with her last attempt.Ancy had taken the lead with a jump of 6.53m in her fifth attempt, but Huang responded with 6.55m in the final round to snatch the gold by just two centimetres. Ancy’s final effort was 6.49m.Shaili, meanwhile, was sitting third with 6.42m after five attempts. But Tan produced 6.46m in her final jump to move into bronze-medal position and push the Indian to fourth.Ancy’s silver took India’s athletics tally to 10 medals — five silver and five bronze — while the country continued to wait for its first gold in track and field. India’s overall medal count stood at 34, with four gold, 15 silver and 15 bronze.Asian Games Full Coverage | Medal Tally | Schedule
Huang’s final jump denies Ancy gold
Ancy began strongly, opening with a jump of 6.49m to establish herself among the medal contenders. Huang matched that distance in her fifth attempt, setting up a close contest between the two.The Indian then raised the bar with a 6.53m effort in the fifth round to move into the lead. With the gold within reach, Ancy needed to hold on through the final attempts.Huang had other plans. The Chinese jumper delivered 6.55m with her last attempt, overtaking Ancy and securing the title. Ancy could not improve on her leading mark, managing 6.49m in her final jump, and finished just short of gold.For Shaili, the final round brought a similarly painful twist. Her 6.42m had placed her third after five attempts, but Tan’s 6.46m effort pushed her off the podium.
India’s Shaili Singh (AP Photo)
Harita’s bronze earlier in the day
Earlier on Sunday, Harita Bhadra had won bronze in the women’s 200m after edging Japan’s Abigeirufuka Ido in a photo-finish. Harita clocked 23.20 seconds, just 0.01 seconds ahead of Ido’s 23.21s.Indonesia’s Shanti Pereira won gold in 22.78s, while China’s 100m champion Yujie Chen took silver in 22.93s. The other Indian in the final, Unnathi Aiyappa Bolland, finished sixth in 23.46s.More events still offer medal chances: India remained in contention for further medals in athletics on Sunday. Tejaswin Shankar was placed third in the decathlon with the final event remaining, while Sarvesh Kushare was leading the high jump standings.
